Kuala Lumpur, 12 May 2022 – Franklin Templeton is pleased to announce changes to its senior  management team in Malaysia. 

Nor Hanifah Hashim (Hanifah) has been appointed Head of Malaysia business for Franklin  Templeton, replacing Avinash Satwalekar who has relocated to India to take on the position of  President of Franklin Templeton’s India business.  

In addition to her new role as Head of Malaysia, Hanifah will continue to be the lead manager  supervising the firm’s Sukuk fund and mandates, including developing investment policies for the  Malaysian market. She also works closely with the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income team in the  Middle East on global Sukuk mandates and supports Franklin Templeton's global fixed income  capabilities. Hanifah will continue to report to David Zahn, Head of Sustainable Fixed Income and  Head of European Fixed Income, and will now also report to Tariq Ahmad, Head of Asia Distribution  at Franklin Templeton. 

Commenting on the new appointments, Tariq said, “We would like to thank Avinash for his  immense contribution to growing the Malaysia business to where it is today. He brought valuable  experience in roles across Franklin Templeton, both in the US and in Asia during his tenure in  Malaysia and we are confident he will continue to do so in his new role.” 

“Hanifah’s appointment further strengthens the company’s leadership team for future growth in  Malaysia. Her extensive experience and strong track record in investment management, coupled  with her in-depth knowledge of the local market, will be invaluable in elevating our existing Malaysia  business to a stronger position and building synergies to better serve our clients across multiple  distribution channels.” 

Hanifah has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She will retain her  role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.  (FTGSC), a position that she has taken since 2017. During that period, she has been instrumental  in increasing FTGSC’s market penetration in Malaysia. Hanifah first joined Franklin Templeton as  the head of Malaysia Fixed Income and Sukuk in 2011 and oversaw the launch of Franklin Malaysia  Sukuk Fund in November 2015. FTGSC is the shariah-compliant entity in Malaysia. 

“I am excited with the additional role and the opportunity to build on the momentum of our  achievements in Malaysia while continuing to focus on managing and growing our Sukuk strategies in the market,” said Hanifah. “I look forward to expanding our product offerings in-market to harness  growth opportunities for our clients and distributors, and working with the distribution team to  continue delivering the exceptional results our clients expect from us.”  

Completing the round of key appointments for Malaysia, Hanifah will be joined by Jackie Goh, Head  of Institutional Sales, and David Jong as the Head of Retail Sales.  

In her new role, Jackie will oversee the firm’s institutional sales channels for Malaysia and develop  country-level strategies and partner with various product and distribution teams to generate new  product solutions that meet the needs of the firm’s institutional clients in Malaysia.  

David will spearhead the firm’s retail sales efforts across Malaysia, working closely with country  teams to develop and implement product distribution strategies to support the growth of the firm’s  retail business in Malaysia. 

Twitter